Digimon: The Nail
by Sid1
Summary: What would happen if the 01 DigiDestined never got to the Digital World? Alternate Universe, 01/02/Tamers. Part 7 is up! The quest for the Tamer's Digimon has ended! (Please review!)
1. History gone wrong

Digimon: The Nail  
Part 1  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  
I don't own Digimon.  
This is gonna be a long-shot fanfic.  
If you have any suggestion or comment, please write a review or mail me: Sid@Liao.de  
This is a Digimon 01/02/Tamers crossover, although the correct word would be "Alternate Universe".  
Or rather: "Elseworlds" since I got the basic idea after reading "JLA: The Nail" from DC Comics.  
But I'm talking way too much. ^_^;;;  
  


* * *

  
_3 years ago_  
"It is time." he says.  
Of course, nobody answers him since he is alone.  
Standing on a solitary island, Gennai takes a look around.  
He'd have to get away once he has pulled his trick.  
He sighs.  
Slowly he starts to concentrate on the eight objects in front of him.  
He can feel time do its work. Mortals would call it destiny.  
But he knows better. Everything that will be has been before.  
The DigiVices will find their way to their owners.  
Time also tells him that one of the DigiDestined will come later.  
_But seven DigiDestined will do fine for the moment._  
He feels power surging through his body.  
Seven DigiVices would be sent to the postion the DigiDestined will be at.  
Then he would immediatly get them back here. Their journey would begin soon.  
Gennai releases the stored energy and sends the eight DigiVices into the real world.  
The sky darkens almost immediately.  
_He knows what I have done. Time for Phase Two._  
Gennai uses his powers again to transport seven young DigiDestined here.  
He waits. After a minute he tries it again.  
But again, he feels...  
_Nothing. The DigiVices are there, but I can't feel the presence of the kids!_  
Devimon's loyal Digimon are already closing in on him.  
_Come on! Time can't be wrong! Or can it?_  
The Digimon are almost here now. And Gennai knows that he has failed.  
"I'm sorry." he whispers, addressing seven Digimon waiting somewhere for their partners.  
Then he vanishes in a flash of light.  
_But what went wrong?_  
  
"Finally!" the bus driver announces.  
"You have done it?" the teacher eagerly asks.  
The bus driver nods at the assembled class in front of him and holds up a small object.  
"Our bus had a flat tire because of this!" he shouts.  
The class moves towards the driver to get a better view.  
"You mean we've been standing here this long because of a nail?" Taichi Yagami asks.  
"Incredible how something so small can have such asn effect." a girl named Sora Tekenuchi whispers.  
"Reminds me of a verse by George Herbert."  
The boy's voice quiets the class immediatly.  
The boy who has spoken has blue hair and is called Jyou "Joe" Kido.  
"Or rather, a colloquial adaptation of it: 
    
    For want of a nail
    the shoe was lost,
    for want of a shoe
    the horse was lost,
    for want of a horse
    the knight was lost,
    for want of a knight
    the battle was lost.
    So it was a kingdom
    was lost...
    ...all for the
    want of a nail.

I guess it went like-"  
Joe realizes that everyone is staring at him in awe and blushes slightly.  
"That was wonderful." Mimi Tachikawa whispers.  
Slowly, the class enters the fixed bus again.  
And seven children do not realize that for want of nail, a whole world may be lost...  
  
  
_Present day_  
  
"Identification?" the guard asks him.  
"Captain John Nelson." the man answers, handing over his ID.  
"I see. Well then, Capatin Nelson, welcome to Japan."  
"Thank you." John replies.  
"Enjoy it while it's still that peaceful." the guard adds with a serious face.  
John frowns, but nods. Slowly he enters the military compound.  
He is surprised to see that the compound is about as large as a village.  
Then he nods when he realizes what he is actually looking at.  
_This really is the old University._  
He frowns when he realizes that he has no clue where to go next.  
_Brilliant. Navy SEAL, best of his unit, and gets lost before the mission has really started._  
"Let me guess, I'm not the only one who has been sent here unbriefed?"  
John turns around to face the person behind him.  
He jumps slightly when he realizes that the man who has spoken is standing right behind him.  
_Damn! Nobody at home managed to sneak up on me like that._  
Then he notices that the man in front of him is actually bigger and broader than he is.  
_How could somebody this big make no sound while moving?_  
Finally his eyes travel upwards to look at the man's face.  
Judging by skin color, the blonde hair and the bright blue eyes, John can think of only one thing:  
_Germany has obviously sent their most stereotype soldier._  
Then he reminds himself of the fact that this stereotype German has sneaked up on him.  
"Captain John Nelson, Navy SEAL." John finally says, extracting his hand.  
"Dieter Meyer. Ex-GSG-9." the German man answers, shaking the offered hand.  
"Ex? What're you doing now?"  
"Been there, done that..." Dieter answers with a smile.  
Before John can answer anything, a jeep approaches them.  
The vehicle stops next to them.  
"Captain Nelson? Mr. Meyer?" the driver politely asks.  
Both men nod and enter the vehicle.  
The driver brings them to one of the countless buildings and leads them inside to an empty office.  
There are three seats, a table and some cabinets, nothing more.  
Still the office is quite large. The two men sit down and wait.  
  
"Any idea what they're doing here?" Meyer finally asks.  
John just shrugs.  
"Japan has been very secretive. They didn't even tell my superiors."  
"We had a good reason for that, Captain." a new voice announces.  
A Japanese man charges into the office and swiftly sits down at the other end of the table.  
"I didn't mean to sound-" John starts to apologize.  
But the newcomer just waves his hand and smiles.  
"You were right. But soon you'll understand why we didn't inform you earlier."  
The man pauses slightly as if trying to remember something important.  
John and Dieter exchange curious glances.  
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. My name is Kado Tanaka and I'm the tactical leader of this project.  
I will show you what happened and why you are here."  
"Judging by your clothing, I guess you are not part of the military, right?" Dieter observes.  
The Japanese nods.  
"I guess you would call people like me the labbies or lab rats. I do prefer the term scientist, though."  
All men chuckle at that remark. Then suddenly Mr. Tanaka frowns and sighs.  
He stands up and opens a cabinet, revealing a large monitor.  
Then he takes a wireless keyboard out of the cabinet and resumes his place again.  
"Do you believe in monsters?" he asks, typing in some commands.  
Before any of the men can answer, the monitor diplays a video.  
It shows a large dark dinosaur breathing fire at charging infantrymen and small tanks.  
"Sir, I didn't come here for the latest trailer for the new Godzilla Movie." John comments.  
But he knows that something is wrong. Terribly wrong.  
Then he sees other... creatures attack the troops.  
Finally the large creatures are brought to a halt by a company of larger tanks.  
All of a sudden, the video is replaced by another one.  
The new video is much closer to the action than the last one.  
John now sees smaller creatures of all kinds fight against humans.  
He sees ghosts, reptiles, even a large teddybear. And they're... slaying soldiers.  
And the soldiers are dying. Really dying. He can tell the difference.  
A quick glance at Dieter's face tells him that he's right.  
  
The next video almost makes his blood freeze in his veins.  
A man-sized ghost with a scythe is heading right for a little girl.  
John quickly estimates her to be 10 years old, maybe a little older.  
The girl is obviously frozen in terror. Isn't she?  
_Wait... That determined look on her face... Doesn't she realize-_  
All of a sudden, the girl raises her right hand, which is holding a small object.  
The screen abruptly turns white for several seconds.  
When they can see the scene again, the scythe-swinging ghost is lying on the ground.  
It seems to feel great pain from something.  
The girl is still standing where she has been, pointing the small object at the creature.  
And although the video's resolution isn't the best, John could swear that the girl is smiling.  
Then the screen blacks out, leaving John and Dieter visibly shaken.  
"Do you believe in monsters?" Mr. Tanaka asks them again after a minute of silence.  
Both men stare at their host.  
"What did we just see?" the German asks back.  
"All of these videos are roughly one year old. They have been filmed on the compound.  
I guess I don't have to tell you that this is highly confidential."  
"But how did the monsters get here? You didn't create them, did you?" John asks.  
Mr. Tanaka shakes his head and types some commands again.  
The monitor now shows one of the buildings on the compound.  
"This has been the Institute for Physics. Today it's simply known as the Central.  
Three years ago, some scientists have worked on a device that could detect anomalies in reality.  
I'll spare you the Trek-Talk and come to the results:  
These people actually discovered anomalies in this city. There have been eight sources.  
The scientists informed the military and we looked at the work done so far.  
Much to our surprise, these people were correct: The anomalies were really there!  
Special Forces Teams have tracked them down and discovered something amazing:  
We found out that the sources of the anomalies were small devices. Each of them looks like this."  
Another image appears on the screen, showing a small white device with a small display on it.  
  
"The research tems call it a DigiVice for its vice-like effects on Digimon.  
That is short for Digital Monster. While the second part is quite obvious, the first one is harder to explain.  
It seems that the monsters you have seen are solified impersonations of pure data.  
And I'm not talking of holograms like the EMH from Star Trek. It's a whole new world.  
Which brings me to the next step in history. Like I said, we began analyzing the devices.  
Almost one year later, we've got hit by the First Wave. A group of Digimon materialized here.  
In retrospect, it wasn't really a wave but a scouting mission. the group was very small.  
Still we had trouble fighting them. We won after a strange coincidence:  
One of the kids 'owning' a DigiVice held it up when the monsters charged. The results were... surprising.  
Especially since the DigiVice seemed to work only when used by one of the kids."  
"Wait." John interrupts Mr. Tanaka's speech.  
"You're telling me that Japan has fought alien life two years ago without telling anyone?"  
"Oh, we did tell the world what happened. Unfortunately there isn't any filmed evidence of the fight.  
So nobody really believed our story of monsters beaming into this world.  
Another disadvantage is that they vanish once they're dead. So we had no hard evidence.  
The only nations who didn't think we've gone completely crazy were the United Staes and Germany.  
I guess the Americans believe everything after having seen countless seasons of the X-Files."  
Two pairs of eyes turn towards Meyer expectingly. The huge German shifts in his seat.  
"I think the story has even been in the 'Bild', and most Germans believe the stories in there.  
So I guess the governmemnt had difficulties officially denying it afterwards."  
The trio chuckles at that remark.  
  
"That still doesn't explain why we are here now." John finally states.  
"Well then. About one year after the First Wave, there has been a Second Wave.  
We were better prepared this time, so we managed to beat them before they hit the city.  
You've seen the clips. Much of the credit went to the eight children and the DigiVices.  
Ten months later, the scientists have finished building the Portal.  
It should transport our armies to their homeworld. Well, it did..." Mr. Tanaka's voice trails off.  
"And they failed?" Dieter guesses after seeing Mr. Tanaka's face.  
The man nods grimly.  
"We sent 6 kids and about a batallion of troopers. Nobody returned."  
"So there are only two children left?" John concludes after a long pause.  
"Actually, there are five children now. Days before the assault, two of the kid's DigiVices changed.  
The scientists are still analyzing the differences, but at the same time, we reigstered three new anomalies.  
We found three other kids with the same sort of new DigiVice. So we formed two teams of children.  
The children with the tested DigiVices went to this... world. From then on, we've lost them."  
The room fills with silence again.  
"Sir, with all due respect, why are we here?" Dieter brings the question up this time.  
Mr. Tanaka looks at the two men in front of him.  
"We want you to train the children and our troops." he says with a straight face.  
Both men chuckle.  
"You want us to train children and regular troops to fight monsters from another world?" Dieter asks.  
"I want you to teach them to be prepared for anything. To keep an open mind.  
Captain Nelson, you are trained in guerilla warfare and are generally known as the Survivor.  
We need your first-hand experience when facing an unknown world.  
Mr. Meyer, you have seen and prepared more traps and ambushes than most people alive.  
That and your astounding practice in Martial Arts have made you the perfect choice as well."  
Without waiting for an answer, Mr. Tanaka stands up and walks towards the door.  
"I think you will get a better impression of our situation if I show you around."  
  


* * *

  
Final notes:  
The last part may seem to be too long, but I wanted to introduce the past as a whole.  
The next parts won't be history lessons, trust me :)  
If anybody wants to guess who the girl in the video has been, write a review ^_^  
*sigh*  
Of course you are also invited to write a review if you don't want to guess. :)  
  
Final note on a little local gag:  
The 'Bild' is something like the German equivalent of Great Britain's 'The Sun'...  
Years ago, it even published stories of UFO-sightings.  
As you can imagine, it is quite popular and usually good for a laugh ;)  



	2. Present Day

Digimon: The Nail  
Part 2  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
The strange group exits the building and heads for what looks like a gym.  
"If I remeber the schedule correctly, the team should be training at the moment."  
Dieter Meyer frowns when he hears Mr. Tanaka say that.  
_The team. Right. A bunch of children who are thrown into a war._ he thinks.  
A quick look at the SEAL man tells him he's not the only one who dislikes the idea.  
_Maybe they shouldn't have built this sensor thing. But would it have prevented this?_  
He decides that he hasn't enough information to judge the situation, so he dismisses the thought.  
They enter the gym and enter the main hall.  
Just as Mr. Tanaka has guessed, five children are running laps.  
Some adults are practicing a sword fight in the center of the hall.  
"So young..." he hears John, the SEAL whisper.  
"We're witnessing another Children's Crusade." Dieter whispers back.  
When the children are near them, Mr. Tanaka motions them to come.  
Dieter counts three boys and two girls. They are all about ten years old, definately too young for this.  
"What is it, Mr. Tanaka?" one of the girls asks.  
"I wanted to introduce you to two new advisors who will-" Mr. Tanaka starts to say.  
"-lead us into the same death trap you have sent Matt to?" one of the boys snaps.  
Dieter raises an eyebrow in surprise. The boy's eyes showed pure rage and hatred.  
"T.K." the girl who has asked the question in the beginning puts an arm onto the boy's shoulder.  
"Kari, you should know it better than anybody!" the boy shouts.  
"I know. But those two men aren't responsible for what happened." Kari whispers at the boy.  
Then she looks at Mr. Tanaka and Dieter almost jumps when he sees that her eyes have turned into angry slits.  
"Even if they get paid to lead us right into a death trap." she adds, her voice filled with anger.  
Next to him, John draws in his breath. This had been an impressive show so far.  
Suddenly Dieter realizes that Kari must have been the girl from the video.  
_This girl has faced a nightmare. No wonder she reacts this way._  
The three remaining children seem uneasy about the situation, too.  
But Dieter sees that they would stand behind Kari and T.K. in a confrontation.  
Luckily, John tries to disarm the situation with the stereotype American charme.  
"Mr. Tanaka, why don't you... show Mr. Meyer around while I have a little talk here?" he offers.  
Dieter answers the SEAL's pleading look at him with a short and understanding nod.  
"Brilliant idea. Tell me something about those sword-fighters. I think they need some training."  
Even as he says this, Dieter drags Mr. Tanaka's arm towards another corner of the gym.  
  
John sighs in relief when he sees Dieter and Mr. Tanaka get out of reach.  
Then he turns his attention towards the kids again.  
"Uhhh... Hi, my name's John Nelson. I'me quite new here, so could you help me out with your names please?"  
There is a long pause after that question.  
Two of the kids, Kari and T.K. (whatever that might stand for), stare at him as if he was something evil.  
Finally, one of the other boys steps forward.  
"Hi, my name's Davis." he says.  
The remaining girl introduces herself as Yolei and the smallest of the kids says that his name is Cody.  
Kari and T.K. still treat him like the personification of all evil. John sighs.  
"OK, do you care to tell me why you are staring at me like that or do I have to read long reports?" he asks the two.  
"You don't even know, do you?" the boy barks.  
"Our brothers, Tai and Matt, have been in the team that has been..." her voice trails off as she wipes a tear away.  
_Oh boy. And Tanaka didn't even care to tell us._  
"I'm sorry. But I know only parts of the story. It would help me if-"  
"You're going to send us there, too. Right?" T.K. states.  
Before John has a chance to think of an answer, Yolei steps between the two.  
"T.K.! One more sentence like that and I'll-" she starts to shout.  
But her words drown in the noise of a much bigger verbal fight in the gym.  
The children instantly forget their quarrels and turn twoards the noise.  
  
John reminds himself to thank Dieter later when he sees what has happened:  
"I am the local Martial Arts champion! I have beaten-" one of the sword-fighters shouts.  
"My grandmother could fight better than you do!" Dieter shouts back at the man.  
The two men are standing right in front of each other, with Dieter actually bowing down to face the other man.  
John guesses that the 'champion' relies on swiftness and speed. Dieter on the other hand looks more like a bear.  
"That does it! I challenge you to a battle! Unarmed combat!" the champion shouts, striking a pose.  
"Ach ja? Dann lass' mal sehen!" Dieter shouts.  
The gym is silent for some seconds.  
"Uhhh... What?" the champion asks in confusion.  
Dieter sighs dramatically, obviously making a show out of it.  
"That's German and means something like 'Bring it on!'." he explains slowly.  
The people around them snicker.  
Dieter's enemy suddenly screams in frustration and kicks at Dieter's face.  
The German easily catches the leg and holds it, still bowing to face his enemy.  
Then Dieter straightens his back to stand at his full (and impressive) height.  
He still holds the champion's foot at his eye level, making the Japanese jump uneasily.  
At that moment, two of the champions friends decide to interfere.  
The fight doesn't take very long.  
All of the attackers are equally surprised by Dieter's grace and speed which deny his huge body.  
The huge German seems to dance between the three attackers, delivering some occasional hits.  
But John can see that he is toying with them. He also sees that the children look impressed.  
As the last of the attackers hits the mat, John bows down to T.K.'s ear.  
"We came to offer our help. We won't force you to do anything." he whispers.  
Before the boy can say something, John starts to walk to Dieter.  
  


* * *

  
The Lord sighs. The boy is late. Again.  
_I told him that this was a mistake._ she tells herself.  
But the Lord had not listened. He believed in the human for reasons that were beyond her.  
Finally her ears pick up footsteps coming closer.  
She looks up at her Master, and he just nods grimly.  
Although expecting it, she still jumps as the large doors are pushed open with more force than necessary.  
"What do you want this time?" the boy asks without even greeting.  
Her Master sighs again. Then he finally speaks.  
"I'm getting reports that some of your control collars have failed." he announces.  
The boy is standing still, as if considering something.  
_I hate those goggles._ she tells herself.  
Her Master can stare directly into the souls of his victims, but not this time.  
It is as if the boy's goggles are shielding him from the Lord's powers.  
And she hates anything that annoys her Master.  
"How many cases?" the boy finally asks.  
"Three."  
"I'll take a look at them. I guess they're in the pound?"  
The Lord just nods.  
"Anything else?" the boy asks and yawns.  
_That's enough!_ she angrily tells herself.  
"How dare you insult Master Myotismon like this!" she shouts at the boy.  
The boy just grins at her.  
"My my my... Myotismon, I really don't get it why you don't let me put a collar on her..."  
"My loyality to my Master isn't in question." she sneers.  
"Gatomon. Don't waste your time." Myotismon whispers calmly, petting her head with one hand.  
Her anger instantly vanishes. Her Master sounded pleased with her.  
"And you, get to work, I want to see those three Digimon in my loyal army again by tomorrow." he says louder.  
Gatomon's eyes form small slits as the boy leaves the room again.  
_How could Master Myotismon trust a boy who calls himself Digimon Emperor?_ she asks herself.  
  


* * *

  
"Oh dear! Don't tell me that-" her mother exclaims when her little daughter enters the room.  
"Yeah." the girl just mutters, rubbing her bruises.  
"You promised not to fight other girls at school!" her mother reminds her.  
"Oh don't worry. I fought boys this time."  
"Ruki!" her mother shouts in horror.  
"They were really asking for it, I didn't have many choices." Ruki says and shrugs.  
Then she suddenly walks to a shelve and grabs a book.  
Her mother frowns and bows down to read the title. When she sees it, she frowns even more.  
"What do you need to look up in the Family Tree?" she asks her daughter.  
Ruki looks up and also frowns.  
"I don't know. But I have a strange feeling that I'm missing somebody close to me..."  
Instead of answering, Ruki's mother embraces her.  
"I know you miss you father, Ruki. But I told-" she starts to whisper.  
"I wasn't talking about Dad." Ruki answers flatly.  
When her mother gives her a surprised look, Ruki sighs.  
"I know it sounds weird, but I don't really know who I'm missing. But I am missing her."  
"Her?"  
Ruki thinks about the question.  
"I... don't know... Maybe him... No..." she whispers as she starts to walk to her room.  
She doesn't even notice the confused look in her mother's eyes.  
  


* * *

  
"Onee-chan?" a childish voice calls her.  
"What is it, little one?" she answers the call without looking up.  
"Will they try to hurt us again?" the owner of the childish voice asks her.  
"Maybe. They want to break us. They don't want us to think our own thoughts." she says.  
"Why do they want to do this, onee-chan?" her other 'brother' asks her.  
She can make out their shapes somehwere in the darkness of the cell.  
Or as their captors like to call it: The pound.  
"I don't know. But I do know that they will fail. We just have to be strong until..."  
Two pairs of eyes look at her.  
"Until they come, right?" the childish male voice finishes the sentence.  
She just nods.  
_Until they come. I just hope that they won't be too late._ she tells herself.  
  


* * *

  
Midnight. Finally. Captain John Nelson checks his equipment.  
He had waited the whole day for his stuff. They had sent everything in a large transport helicopter.  
Including his black Hummer, which has become one of the two main attention grabbers here.  
The other one has been Meyer's BMW, which would have cost a fortune in the States.  
_OK, with all the stuff he has built in, this BMW also costs a fortune in Germany._  
Of course, John doesn't plan to admire cars at midnight.  
But with his car came his mission gear, including the set designed for night combat.  
Minutes later, John sprints across the compound, knowing where the guards are patrolling.  
Then again, most guards are looking for an intruder from the outside.  
After some minutes of silent approach, he has reached his destination.  
It takes him a ahort while to pick the lock, but he knows that he has whole minutes to get inside.  
Still, he sighs quietly when he is standing inside the main command building.  
_Although this looks more like a playground for the guys from administration._  
He continues the mission and quickly finds his next destination: Kado Tanaka's office.  
_Something is wrong here, and I'll find out what it is._ he tells himself as he opens the office door.  
He closes the door behind him, still trying not to make any sounds.  
Then he realizes that the next guard is outside the building and sighs again.  
"You make more sounds than a bulldozer." somebody directly behind him remarks.  
John's first reaction is to reach for his gun, but he knows that he has lost. So he simply raises his hands in defeat.  
"Und jetzt in die Ecke stellen zum Schämen."  
"Dieter?" John asks as he turns around.  
Again he asks himself how somebody this huge can sneak directly into his back.  
The German is also wearing black clothing - and is grinning like the happiest man alive.  
"Please don't tell my boys about this." John begs, smiling weakly.  
"If you insist. I guess you were looking for this?"  
Dieter holds up three folders. Two of them have their respective names on them.  
The third one is thicker. Printed on it is the word "History".  
Just as John wants to congratulate him, the German puts the files back into a drawer.  
Before John can protest, Dieter points at the desk. On the desk he sees a black notebook, complete with a handheld scanner.  
On the leather chair is a slim black backpack, obviously custom-made for the notebook.  
Dieter quickly packs his stuff and takes a final look at the office.  
"OK, let's go." the German says, nodding.  
  
_My God. I have heard of JetLag, but those two look as if they haven't slept at all!_  
Kado Tanaka blinks in surprise as he starts to greet the two foreigners.  
He has never liked the idea of outsiders taking charge here.  
Luckily they wouldn't even know why they are here. Things would get very messy if-  
"So, Mr. Tactical Leader, when were you going to tell us the truth?" the American interrupts his thoughts.  
"Nani?" Mr. Tanaka asks back in surprise.  
"We have taken a look at your files." the German bows down to tell him.  
"You... you... You broke into my office and-" Mr. Tanaka stutters.  
"Yeah, and guess what we found out?" Captain Nelson asks innocently.  
_That two moron outsiders are in charge of the children? That they are the new leaders of any mission into this world?_  
Kado Tanaka knows he has lost his little power play and sighs.  
_I should have known. Two nations have sent their best operatives, and he thought he might trick them._  
"OK, here's the deal. You do your job, and we do ours." Dieter tells him.  
When Tanaka gives him a questioning look, the German continues.  
"Although that last stunt was stupid, you are the best man for your job."  
"But in the future, just let us do our job. It's that simple. And please, no more tricks." John adds.  
"Understood." Tanaka tells them weakly.  
_Well, it's not that bad. They do what I told them to, but with more priviliges. And I do my job._  
He keeps telling this to himself and tries to forget that he is now technically their subordinate.  
  
"Well, that went well." John comments.  
"Yeah. Guess he is happy we didn't kick him out." Dieter answers.  
"With that done, I say we have to get closer to the kids."  
The two men are wandering towards their apartments again.  
"Any suggestions?" Dieter asks as he approaches his front door.  
The bungalow they are living in has been split into the two apartments they are living in.  
Although it looks makeshift, the apartments are much bigger than normal military ones.  
"Maybe we can take them on trip somewhere. To get them out of here for a while."  
"That would leave the base defenseless." Dieter reminds him.  
"I know. But T.K. and Kari haven't been out for months."  
"Then we go somewhere near this place. A park maybe." Dieter suggests.  
John nods.  
"Let's talk to the kids." he says, turning around.  
  


* * *

  
Author's note:  
Finally the foundation has been set. *sighs in relief*  
The next part will focus on the DigiDestined. And the Tamers!  
This will be a lot of fun, trust me.  
Some characters might be OOC, but I guess that's understandable given the changed timeline.  



	3. History, rewritten

Digimon: The Nail  
Part 3  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  
A lot will happen at roughly the same time, so please forgive me for switching between the worlds so often.  
Thanks.  
  


* * *

  
"She's breaking free! Grab her!" the boy shouts frantically, jumping out of the way.  
"Yes, Emperor!" the Bakemon shouts as they grab the wild Digimon's limbs.  
He watches the uneven fight for a while.  
Four Bakemon against one Renamon.  
As his mindless yet helpful assistants push Renamon back into the pound, he shakes his head.  
There have been times when he would have helped the poor fox-type Digimon.  
He had been called Ken at that time. Not Digimon Emperor. That was just a hollow title for him.  
But he couldn't allow himself to think of his past. Yet.  
First he would have to finish the plan. Just as he has been told.  
Fortunately, the Bakemon can't see the tears in his eyes since he is wearing the goggles.  
"Now leave." he tells the Bakemon once the heavy door to the pound is closed again.  
As the ghost Digimon leave, Ken can hear Renamon trash around inside the cell.  
A quick look through a small window confirm his fears.  
"Bakemon, return!" he orders sharply.  
Almost instantly, the four Bakemon appear around him, waiting for his orders.  
"Put her in a seperate cell. She is hurting the others in her condition."  
"As you command, Emperor." the Bakemon reply.  
And the human child named Ken just sighs.  
_Soon._  
  


* * *

  
The day has been a success indeed.  
John and Dieter had convinced the children to join their trip to the park.  
Tomorrow morning, they would start.  
Of course, the base commander has been against this.  
But after assuring him to be within a safe range of the compound, he agreed to the idea.  
"Finally somebody treats these children like children." the commander has told them with a warm smile.  
Now John is lying in his bed, getting some well-deserved sleep.  
  


* * *

  
Night in the DigiWorld.  
Gennai sighs as he takes a look around.  
"So wrong." he whispers.  
He had seen Myotismon's army conquering the DigiWorld.  
He had witnessed Myotismon beating Devimon. Etemon.  
Only the Dark Masters remained, but they have their bases on another continent.  
And as far as he knows, they're not daring to attack Myotismon yet.  
"Time has betrayed me."  
Of course this statement isn't correct since Time is just a concept.  
But still, none of this should have happened. The Dark Age of Myotismon should have ended already.  
The vampire Digimon should have been beaten by the DigiDestined.  
Like Devimon. Like Etemon. Like the Dark Masters.  
"I have tried to act according to History. To Time."  
He doesn't even know what has happened to the Digimon of the DigiDestined.  
Except for Gatomon. She was among the few who were still playing their role.  
Even if her time should have come long ago.  
"Maybe that has been my mistake."  
Gennai had tried to subtly alter the course of history. His best try had been sending out the D3-DigiVices.  
But as it turned out, the legend of the DigiDestined has already changed beyond repair.  
Gennai has used up all of his official trump cards. Now the time for cheating has come.  
"History is being rewritten, and I'm going to add a new chapter."  
He takes three devices out of his pocket and places them on the ground in front of him.  
"Seekers of the lost ones. Tamers of the untamed ones." he whispers.  
The three Devices in front of him start to glow.  
"I'm giving you the means to fulfill your new destiny."  
In a flash of light, the three D-Arcs disappear from the Digital World.  
If there had been a personification of time, it would have been startled by his actions.  
Gennai can already feel the change. If only the humans would understand his call...  
  


* * *

  
"Ruki. Please. You need some sleep." Mrs. Makino tells her daughter.  
Her little Ruki looks even worse than after a fight.  
The girl hasn't slept well for days. That alone wouldn't have been too alarming.  
But all the time, Ruki has searched for... somebody... or something...  
"Yes, mother." Ruki whispers, but her eyes are still darting around.  
Her mother frowns, but leaves her daughter's room.  
"Is she still looking for something?" Mrs. Makino's mother asks.  
"Yes, mother. I think I'll send her to a doctor tomorrow."  
  


* * *

  
Standing behind her Master, Gatomon grins.  
_Finally. The boy has failed. That'll take care of his cocky attitude!_  
"So your collars can't control these three Rookies?" Myotismon calmly asks the boy.  
"I can't explain it myself. They normally work on Rookies and Champions."  
"And you don't see a way to fix this... problem."  
Myotismon didn't actually ask that last thing. He stated it.  
Her Master sighs.  
"Go now. There are still other ways to tame a wild Digimon. Right, Gatomon?" her Master asks.  
"Of course, my Lord." Gatomon replies and bows.  
She had been a wild Digimon, too. But luckily, Myotismon took good care of her.  
The boy just shrugs and leaves the room. Lost in thought, Myotismon pets Gatomon's head.  
The cat Digimon purrs happily.  
The purring instantly stops as his grip on her head tightens.  
"Gatomon. Try to show these Digimon the right way." he simply tells her and releases her head.  
"With pleasure, Master Myotismon." she quickly replies and bows before she leaves the room, too.  
It takes her less than a minute to reach the pound in the cellar.  
Gesturing wth her paw, she sends the Bakemon out of the pound to be alone with the three Digimon.  
For some minutes, she simply listens to the sounds.  
She can hear two of the Digimon inside the biggest cell. They are afraid, she can sense it.  
Gatomon frowns when she hears the third Digimon run wild inside another cell.  
"Stupid Emperor. He forgot to remove her collar."  
_Oh well. I'll take care of the other two first.  
The third one will be exhausted once I'm done, so I won't even start to sweat._  
  


* * *

  
With a short cry, Ruki sits up on her sleeping mat.  
She is bathed in sweat and gasping as if she had run a Tri-State-Marathon.  
As her breathing slows down, she tries to understand what she had felt. What had woken her.  
Panic. Fear. Anger. All these words didn't quite describe it.  
*beep*  
_It can't go on like that._ she tells herself.  
Ruki knows that her bodyis suffering from sleep deprivation.  
Her mother had already offered to give her a small sleeping pill, but Ruki had refused to take it.  
She didn't fear possible side effects. The dosage was too small to harm her with one pill.  
But if she slept, the dreams would return. And the dreams intensified the feelings.  
It would become a vicious circle, and that would make matters worse.  
*beep*  
No. Ruki knows she has to find... her. The one she is looking for.  
_This is silly. I don't even know who to look for. And I have no clue where she is._  
She covers her eyes with one hand and realizes that she is crying.  
_I'm going insane. No, I am insane already. That must be it._  
She continues to cry into her hand, shaking her head in frustration.  
*beep*  
_They'll lock me away. Just like her. Just like her._  
She clenches her fist and drives it down onto the mat while one hand still covers her eyes.  
_Then they'll start asking questions. About me. Why I'm such a tomboy._  
"Insane. Crazy. A threat to herself." she whispers, her fist hitting the mat after each word.  
*beep*  
By now she realizes that the slow, constant beeping does not come from her alarm clock.  
But she can't think of anything else in her room that can produce a beeping sound.  
_Oh, great. Now I'm also hearing things._  
She would have to tell her mother. Maybe the doctors could help her.  
*beep*  
Frowning, she slowly removes her hand from her eyes and blinks.  
Placed right next to her, she sees a small device colored grey and blue.  
It has a small glowing display. She stares at the object.  
_I may be insane, but I do know that I have never seen this thing before._  
*beep*  
_This... thing... is the source of the sound._ she realizes.  
Slowly, carefully, her hand moves towards the strange device.  
Her fingers trace its outlines, then she takes it into her hand.  
Ruki's eyes widen as all of her doubts are leaving her.  
"I'm not insane." she says, tightening her grip on the device.  
She sees that the display is showing an arrow, just like a compass.  
And Ruki Makino knows what has to be done.  
  
"I will find you." he whispers.  
He is walking in the middle of the street. At this time, no cars are driving anywhere.  
"I won't fail you. Don't worry." he whipsers.  
The device in his hand makes a beeping sound, as if answering him.  
He quickly looks at it to verify that he is still on the right way.  
Sure enough, the arrow is still pointing straight ahead.  
Straight at a girl who is also standing in the middle of the street.  
He stops in his tracks when he recognizes the girl.  
_That's the girl who enjoys beating up anybody who dares to challenge her!_  
He has heard stories of that girl. What was her name? Ruki?  
He jumps when she suddenly notices him and turns around.  
Then he sees the dark rings under her eyes.  
"You too?" he just asks and holds up the beeping device.  
"Who are you?" she just asks, her voice sounding tired.  
"Jenrya Lee. But most people just call me Lee."  
"Oh. I'm Ruki. Ruki Makino." the girl answers and shows him her device.  
It looks just like his device, but hers is blue-grey while his is green-grey.  
"Is this a meeting of some kind?" another voice suddenly asks.  
Lee and Ruki turn around and see another boy holding up a red-grey device.  
The boy introduces himself as Takato Matsuda.  
Together they look at the devices. All of them point in the same direction.  
Without another word, the trio starts to walk.  



	4. Meeting the Tamers

Digimon: The Nail  
Part 4  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
John chuckles as he finishes his run through the compound.  
_If the boys knew that I would spend a day in the park with some kids, my reputation would be ruined._  
Then he shakes his head. It's not as simple as that.  
These kids might be their only hope once these... things came back.  
John slows down to a walk as he comes close to the main gate.  
He can see the soldier at the entrance discuss with some... children.  
John likes children. They're always happy, their life is full of dreams.  
Then he sees the children's faces and frowns. They remind him more of T.K. and Kari, just worse.  
And they seem to be eager to get into the compound.  
"Trouble?" Dieter asks, having sneaked into John's back again.  
"Do you have to do that every time?" John hisses trying to hide his shock.  
The big German just shrugs. He has obviously seen the three kids, too.  
"Should we take a look?" John asks.  
"You're better with children. I rather train a little more." Dieter answers and starts to leave.  
_Weird guy._ John thinks and shrugs. Then he starts towards the gate.  
  
"Please." Takato insists.  
It's no use. The man in front of them seems to be determined not to let them through.  
The boy looks at the other two children next to him.  
But they have run out of ideas, too.  
Besides, they were exhausted, having walked almost the entire night.  
_Only to fail here._ Takato adds in his thoughts.  
"Is there a problem?" another adult asks, joining the group.  
"No, sir. These kids just want to get in here." the guard answers.  
"Please. You don't understand." Lee tells the men.  
"Well, then please enlighten us." the second adult says, slowly dropping onto his knee.  
"It's... because of this." Takato says, showing the man his device.  
It's grey and red, with a little screen. And it's still beeping.  
  
John stares at the little toy the boy is showing him.  
The tiny screen is showing a small arrow, just like a compass.  
But the arrow isn't pointing North.  
_It's just a toy._ he tries to convince himself.  
Still, his hand starts towards the device.  
The three children instantly move backwards in fear. John sighs.  
"Could I please take a look at it?" John gently asks.  
The boy hesitates. He looks as if he is very tired, still something seems to drive him.  
After some moments, John shows the boy his Compound ID card.  
"Let's trade for a while. So you're sure I won't take it away from you." he proposes.  
The boy looks at his two friends, a boy and a girl. Both nod.  
_God, when did they get some sleep?_ John asks himself briefly.  
Slowly, the boy takes John's card and gives him the device.  
John quickly examines it.  
_Looks quite stable. No battery lid, no screws. No way to open it._  
John frowns. He has read similar things in the files about the children's DigiVices.  
Then he looks at the screen. the arrow points somewhere inside the compound.  
John rotates the device, but the arrow still points at the same point.  
_But where exactly? And why're the children in this condition?_  
"can you phone the gym?" John asks the guard, who instantly starts to dial.  
After a second, the guard hands John the receiver.  
Gym, reception. a female voice answers the call.  
"This is Captain Nelson. Could I speak with Mr. Dieter Weber please?"  
Weber... Weber... the woman whispers, obviously trying to remember the name.  
"The big German dude." John helps her.  
Oh, of course. He'll be right there. the woman giggles.  
  
Minutes later, the silver BMW slowly approaches the main gate.  
"You sure about this?" Dieter asks as he lowers the window.  
"Not really. But I want to know if where these things point at." John answers.  
"Who'll be with me?" the Ex-GSG man asks next.  
"This boy here. His name is Takato. I'll interview the others in the meantime."  
Both men nod as the brown-haired boy enters the car.  
"Hi. My name is Dieter Weber." Dieter greets the boy.  
"Takato Matsuda." the boy introduces himself in a timid way.  
"Well then, Takato. Do you know what a triangulation is?"  
Dieter slowly starts to drive next to the fence, outside of the compound.  
"I don't know." Takato answers after a while.  
Dieter parks his car at a corner of the large compound.  
Then he takes out his laptop and a compass.  
"We'll drive to some spots around the compound and look where your device is pointing at."  
Saying this, he motions Takato to lift his device up.  
It's pointing somewhere in the compound. Dieter holds his compass next to it.  
"The laptop has a map of the compound. We're currently here." he says, pointing at the map.  
Then he quickly enters some coordinates. The map now displays a thin line over the map.  
"And this is where your device is pointing at."  
"Oh, I see! And in the end, the lines meet in one point." Takato realizes.  
"Exactly. Now come on, we're moving on!"  
  
John listens patiently as the girl called Ruki tells of her dreams.  
Lee, the other boy, has had dreams, too. But his weren't as disturbing.  
They're inside John's apartment, although it took him a while to convince the guard to let the kids in.  
"I've been in this dungeon. And there was a... boy with a cape." Ruki whispers.  
_Freud would be delighted. But I doubt that this dream reflects her feelings._  
"The boy has locked me away. Tried to take away my free will. But he failed."  
Lee nods, he obviously has had similar dreams.  
"Then he locks me away. I'm afraid. So afraid..."  
John puts a hand on her shoulder when she starts to cry.  
"Shhh. It's all right. You're safe. Nobody's going to harm you." he whispers.  
There is a knock on the door.  
"It's me. Dieter."  
"Come in." John shouts, still stroking Ruki's hair.  
Dieter and Takato join the group at the table. Dieter is frowning.  
John quickly gestures at Lee to take care of Ruki as he is pulled aside by the German.  
"Anything useful?" he asks quietly.  
Dieter simply shows him the display of the laptop.  
The map of the compound is overlayed by more than six lines.  
All of them meet in exactly one point.  
"That's a building inside the compound." the American observes.  
"It's not just a building, it's the Portal." Dieter whispers.  
  
"A difficult situation." John says.  
He looks at the other people in the park.  
They had decided to go to the park, anyway.  
Takato, Lee and Ruki are in the small hospital, sleeping.  
The doctor who had looked after them had given them sleeping pills.  
Finally the kids had accepted them, even though they feared the dreams.  
That had given John and Dieter some time.  
"True. It looks like they are new recruits." Dieter replies with a frown.  
"I really don't like this."  
Dieter shrugs.  
Kari and T.K. are walking around for themselves, isolated from the rest.  
The others are fooling around, behaving just like kids.  
  
John's cell phone chirps.  
"Nelson. ... Yeah. ... They did what? ... Damn."  
Dieter frowns. Something has obviously gone wrong.  
"No, just put them back to sleep." the American says and ends the call.  
"The kids?" Dieter asks.  
"Yeah. I tried to get to the Portal. It took five men to stop them."  
Dieter's eyes widen. Normally one guard should have been able to stop them.  
"Pretty stubborn, hm?" John remarks.  
"I think the proper term would be 'desperate'."  
"They won't give up until they've reached the Portal." John guesses.  
"Are you saying that we should let them?"  
"I don't know. Wait a sec."  
  
"Tanaka? Nelson here."  
I take it you've heard the news.  
"Yeah. But I want to know who is allowed to use the Portal."  
There is slight pause as Mr. Tanaka thinks some steps in advance.  
You are free to plan and execute any action with the children.  
Just when John starts to smile, Mr. Tanaka continues.  
However, the Portal is under my command. And I won't open it for a suicide mission.  
Cursing, John disconnects.  
He turns around-  
  
-and looks directly at Davis, Yolei and Cody.  
"Problems?" Davis asks with a frown.  
"No. For you, everything is right." John tells them.  
"It's about the three new kids, right?" Yolei guesses.  
Dieter instantly shrugs at John.  
"How'd you know-" John asks.  
"Well, it's not as if we have too much to do." Yolei says and shrugs.  
"They want to go to the other world. Depserately." Dieter tells them.  
"Yeah. But our superiors won't let us use the Portal." John adds.  
  
Davis and the others exchange nervous glances.  
"No." Yolei tells Davis.  
"But-" Davis starts to protest.  
"Kari and T.K. would kill us." Cody whispers.  
John looks at Dieter, but the German looks just as confused.  
"What are you talking about?" Dieter finally asks.  
"You won't drag us into this!" Yolei protests.  
John blinks when she and Cody leave the groups angrily.  
Davis just sighs.  
"There is another way to this world." the boy finally admits.  
John's eyes widen in surprise.  
"We have used it to escape the dullness around here." Davis whispers.  
"Incoming." Dieter mutters suddenly.  
John notices Kari, T.K., Yolei and Cody marching towards them with angry faces.  
"Dieter. Take him back to base. I'll talk to the others here." John quickly orders.  
The huge German just shrugs and quickly leads Davis to the cars.  
_I sure hope this is worth all the trouble._ John thinks and sighs.  



	5. The backdoor

Digimon: The Nail  
Part 5  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
_I can't believe I'm running away from a bunch of children!_ Dieter thinks.  
He uses the remote control to unlock his car and Davis hurries into it.  
Dieter swiftly enters the car and starts the engine.  
Seconds later he is leaving the park.  
  
Dieter sighs when he enters his apartment with Davis.  
The German notices that the boy is nervous, very nervous.  
"Do you want anything? Something to drink?" he offers.  
Davis just shakes his head and sits on a chair at the table.  
Dieter sits down in front of him.  
"Now. Why were your friends so angry?" he finally asks.  
"I... I shouldn't tell you this. It's because of this."  
With a sigh, Davis puts his DigiVice on the table.  
"There is something the scientists haven't found out about it."  
Dieter frowns. He watches the boy as he starts Dieter's laptop.  
The Ex-GSG watches the boy during this procedure.  
_He's serious. Either he is completely nuts or he really knows something._  
When the OS has loaded, Davis picks up his DigiVice and points it at the screen.  
Dieter jumps when a strange program appears on it.  
It looks like a neatly designed media player, complete with small video window.  
He knows that there is no such program installed on the laptop.  
Then he can feel the boy's touch on his shoulder.  
"DigiPort - Open!" Davis commands in an even tone.  
The small video window now shows a small forest, just like a webcam.  
"And go!"  
  
Before Dieter can react, everything around him becomes white.  
The sensation is similar to falling, but without any wind or fear.  
A second later, he is kneeling in the forest he has seen in the window.  
"What the-" he starts to ask before he sees Davis.  
The boy now wears a leather jacket with flames painted on it.  
Dieter blinks and pinches himself. Then he looks around.  
They are standing on a clearing in a forest that could be anywhere.  
After a while he notices a TV set standing at the edge of the clearing.  
"Where are we?" he finally asks, although he knows the answer.  
Davis stares at him.  
"This is the World the Digimon live in." he replies.  
Dieter's hand automatically reaches for his holster before he remembers he left it at home.  
_This is no illusion. This is real. But how?_  
"Do all DigiVices have this ability?" he asks.  
"At least all that look like this." Davis answers and holds up his DigiVice.  
"OK, you've proven your point. No how do we get back?"  
Davis smiles and points at the TV. When Dieter comes near, he can see his apartment.  
_This thing is a portal!_  
Without saying another word, Davis touches his shoulder and holds up the DigiVice.  
"Return!"  
  
This time Dieter kneels in his apartment.  
He sighs. Never before has he been in such a situation:  
Unbriefed, unequipped, in enemy territory and joined by a child!  
He stares at Davis, who is now wearing his normal clothes again.  
"It works with almost any computer." the boy tells him.  
Dieter fights his instinct to grab the DigiVice.  
The device is more powerful than anybody would have thought.  
Still the boy has told him about it to help them.  
So Dieter decides to keep this a secret. For now.  
  
John gulps after ending the call. Dieter has instantly told him the story.  
With a huge frown John looks down at the stubborn and angry kids.  
"You knew it. You all knew it. Right?" he asks.  
When he receives no answer, he sighs. He reminds himself that this is no interrogation.  
"OK. So nobody cared about the threee children." he mutters.  
With grim satisfaction he notices that Yolei and Cody blink in surprise.  
Only Kari and T.K. remain calm.  
"Okay. Trip's over." John finally sighs and walks to his car.  
  
"So we're actually going to do it?" Dieter finally asks.  
The two men have spent two hours discussing the situation.  
John nods once.  
"We have to. But who will be part of the mission?"  
Dieter closes his eyes.  
"OK. The two of us are mandatory. What do you think of the five kids?"  
John laughs shortly.  
"Forget it. Davis may be our only volunteer." he tells the German.  
"Then it's us, the three kids and Davis." Dieter summarizes.  
John nods. They have decided to keep this mission hidden.  
If possible, the secret abilities of the DigiVice should remain hidden.  
That automatically eliminated any possibility for backup forces.  
The two men remain silent for some minutes.  
They know that this would normally be a suicide mission.  
But the enemy is not trained in human warfare. At least they hope so.  
"When do we start?" Dieter finally asks.  
"How about this evening?" John asks and shrugs.  
Since there are no informations of any kind, it made no sense planning much in advance.  
"Sounds fine to me. Will you ask Davis? I'll talk to the three new kids."  
  
Dieter gasps when he enters the hospital room.  
"What's going on here?" he bellows when he finds the kids.  
A nurse quickly approaches him.  
"We had no other choice." she tells him.  
Dieter grits his teeth and looks at the three beds.  
Each child's wrists are secured to their beds.  
The restraints are normally used for mentally unstable cases.  
He growls when he sees that Ruki's feet are secured, too.  
All three kids have been gagged as well.  
Cursing, he starts to free Ruki, who is struggling the most.  
"Sir, I really don't-" the nurse starts to protest.  
"They're just CHILDREN!" She gulps slightly when she sees the fire in his eyes and leaves the room.  
"I'm sorry. I didn't knew they would do this to you." he tells them.  
He frees the arms first so Ruki removes the gag while he frees the legs.  
When she is free, Ruki instantly embraces him and cries.  
Stroking her back with one hand, Dieter works on one of Takato's arms.  
Takato then frees his other arm and his companion.  
The two boys stand next to him, unsure what to do.  
Ruki has by now managed to calm down again looks down.  
"OK. Listen to this. This evening, we will go." he announces quietly.  
All children seem to be filled with new energy instantly.  
"Really?" Lee whispers.  
"Yes. But you'll have to be quiet about it. And behave well until then."  
The three children hug him at once, making Dieter smile happily.  
  
"Hey! Hey! HEY!" John shouts and starts to run.  
He has found the five children in one of their rooms.  
To his horror, Yolei, Cody and Kari keep Davis pinned to the floor.  
T.K. meanwhile punches and kicks the boy.  
They stop when John charges into the room.  
"OK now. Back off or I will end this fight the hard way!"  
Slowly, as if to mock him, the four children walk out of the room.  
Davis groans and stands up. He looks bruised, but not really hurt.  
"Sorry you have to endure this just because you wanted to help." John whispers.  
"No. It's all right. I want to help. And somehow the others want it, too."  
John cocks his head and raises an eyebrow.  
"They're really OK. But they're stressed. Especially T.K. and Kari."  
"Well then. Will you still help us?"  
Davis isntantly nods.  
"I should warn you. The risk is high because of our lack of information."  
The boy just smirks.  
"I know. But still I will do it. Don't ask why."  
John nods and extracts his hand.  
Davis blinks and hesitates. Then he shakes the hand and smiles.  
  
Ruki is still massaging her wrists while she listens to the makeshift plan.  
The hours in the hospital have shown her how she could end.  
Insane, in a clinic for the mentally unstable.  
She is determined not to end this way. And she is joined by people who can help her.  
The adults have told her of this mysterious gate.  
Then she had to point her beeping device at the laptop screen. Nothing had happened.  
"OK. If anything really bad happens, you stay with Davis." John says.  
"He's the big ticket home. Remember this." Dieter adds.  
Nobody has been thrilled by the plan. Two adults and four children on a hostile world.  
But there seems to be no other way.  
Ruki nods. She somehow feels much calmer now.  
The knowledge that she would get her chance somehow made the pain go away.  
A quick look at Takato and Lee tells her that they feel the same.  
  
"Tell me what you've got." Dieter says when John comes in.  
The American is carrying two big bags and smirks.  
"More outside." he just mutters.  
Dieter gets another bag out of John's car and joins the man back inside.  
"So?" he finally asks as he unzips his own bag.  
John calmly unpacks two assault rifles and puts them on the carpet.  
Dieter notices that the four kids jump at the sight of it.  
"Better get used to it. This one could be rough." he tells them.  
Dieter's bag is full of camping and survival stuff. The German nods.  
John then presents four identical pistols.  
"You shoot akimbo?" Dieter asks in surprise.  
"Not when I can avoid it. But I have trained it."  
The rest of the first bag is filled with ammo.  
The second bag contains grenades. Most of them flashbangs.  
"Judging by the children's dreams, this could be a rescue mission." John explains.  
Dieter nods as he understands. Explosives could hurt the ones they had to rescue.  
The last few noticable items are silencers for the pistols.  
Without saying another word, the two men get out their backpacks.  
  
Davis watches the scene and gulps.  
Both men pack their backpacks carefully and sytsematically.  
It takes them some time, by they obviously take great care that everything is right.  
His eyes wander to the two large rifles, making him gulp once more.  
For the first time, Davis doubts his choice.  
Kari and T.K. had told quite scaring stories. But those were just stories.  
This is real.  
These men are preparing for war.  



	6. Entering the lion's den

Digimon: The Nail  
Part 6  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
Dieter checks his equipment one last time.  
John is still on the phone, telling Mr. Tanaka not to call again for 24 hours.  
Sighing, Dieter checks the small folded headset in his pocket.  
Then he watches the kids.  
Takato, Lee, and Ruki are very calm by now.  
He knows they are afraid, but still they are determined to go... there.  
Davis on the other hand looks nervous.  
Obviously the boy is afraid of the unknown situation he'll drop them in.  
John finally finishes his call and sighs.  
Without saying another word, the two men shoulder their backpacks.  
  


* * *

  
"Okay Renamon, you've had your fun." Gatomon purrs.  
She looks down at the fox, who just snarls up at her.  
It's a weak snarl. The Digimon has thrashed in her cell for hours.  
"You should have saved your strength. Master wants to break you personally."  
The fox's eyes widen, and Gatomon can see fear in her eyes.  
"Don't worry. One Master is through with you, you will be loyal. Or dead."  
Grinning, Gatomon summons some Bakemon to carry the wild Digimon.  
Master is waiting.  
  
"What is this place?" Lee asks Davis.  
"The world of the Digimon." Davis answers.  
The four children carefully look around while the two men check their comm gear.  
Finally the two men nod. Everything is fine. For now.  
Davis asks himself how long it will stay this way.  
He knows that he might only be needed during an ambush.  
His DigiVice would protect them. Wouldn't it?  
Davis gulps and remembers what has happened to the last team that went here.  
_Nobody returned. Nobody._  
Whenever he came here with his friends, they had never left this clearing.  
Nobody ever suggested to move too far from the TV.  
  
Ruki checks her device and looks at the other two children doing the same.  
All devices point the same way.  
The three children form a makeshift triangle, with Takato at its front.  
Ruki is behind his left shoulder. Dieter is towering behind Takato.  
John and that other child are covering their backs.  
After some minutes of walking, the group exits the forest.  
Ruki gasps. The forest has been standing on top of a large hill.  
From here, it is easy to see a large part of the surrounding land.  
Most of it is grassland. But one structure instantly catches their attention.  
It's a castle that looks as if it came straight out of a child's nightmare.  
"Definately not Neuschwanstein." Dieter mutters.  
Ruki looks down at her device and gulps.  
The arrow points straight at the castle.  
  
"OK, does anybody doubt where we will go?" John asks.  
Nobody speaks up.  
"Then I suggest we drop our camping stuff here." John tells Dieter.  
The two men unload their stuff quickly.  
All the camping and survival equipment had added much weight to their load.  
They quickly dig a hole and drop the equipment in it.  
As a final touch, John puts a small pack of C4 in the hole, too.  
"What're you doing?" Dieter hisses.  
"If we have to go in a hurry, I don't want them to get my stuff."  
Dieter holds up a remote-control and smiles, making Dieter groan.  
John quickly covers the whole with some branches before standing up again.  
The backpack now feels much lighter, giving him more freedom of movement.  
Finally they start towards the castle.  
  
"Ken."  
Ken wakes with a start and instantly looks for the intruder.  
Sitting up in his bed, he can see him and growls.  
"Wizardmon! Who told you that name?" he snarls.  
He had always had a strange feeling when talking to this Digimon.  
The mysterious wizard has always been a puzzle to him.  
Now he somehow guessed his real name, a name he had never told anybody. Except for...  
"Gennai." Wizardmon whispers.  
Ken instantly checks the room again to make sure they're not being watched.  
"Your time has come. Help is on the way." the Digimon tells him.  
"What kind of help?" Ken asks.  
"Humans. They will be here soon."  
"Why do they come here? For another attack?"  
"They have come for the three wild ones." Wizardmon only answers.  
"What should I do?" Ken asks, starting to get dressed.  
"Help them and escape. The time of the Digimon Emperor ends tonight."  
Ken only nods and watches the Digimon leave his room.  
  
The walk to the castle is shorter than imagined.  
When they reach the outer wall, the three kids check their devices.  
The arrows now point in different directions.  
Ruki's arrow points to a different part of the castle, making the girl frown.  
"We'll worry about this later. But we can be sure that we have to go in." John says.  
"We should make a plan how to split up. Just in case." Dieter suggests.  
John nods and looks at the group.  
"Ruki and Davis stay with Dieter. The rest stays with me." he finally decides.  
Dieter only nods and unpacks his headset. John does the same.  
"Codenames?" Dieter asks.  
"I guess we're the only ones on this world with radios." John answers flatly.  
Dieter smiles sheepishly and nods.  
John once more realizes how alien this situation is for all of them.  
  
"Either this place is deserted or somebody is careless." John mutters.  
Dieter frowns as he leads the group through the large front gates.  
So far, they have not met any creatures of any kind.  
"Or somebody doesn't fear any outside forces." Dieter adds.  
"Let's hope we won't find it out." John tells him.  
When they reach a staircase, the three children check their devices again.  
Then they rotate them to check the vertical direction.  
Takato's device points down just like Lee's.  
Ruki's device points down.  
"Already." Dieter mutters and shakes his head.  
"We'll stay in contact." John tells him and taps his headset.  
"Okay. Davis, Ruki, you're with me. Come on."  
  
Two floors below the ground level, Lee stops them.  
"This is it." he whispers and shows them his device.  
Takato nods after checking his own device.  
John frowns and sneaks through the long corridor the boys point at.  
The dark stone walls instantly remind him of a dungeon.  
_Which could be close to the truth._ he tells himself.  
Lee and Takato are walking next to him, and John briefly checks the display, too.  
The arrow slowly turns to the right side, and John sees a door some meters ahead.  
Standing in front of the wooden door, he checks the displays.  
_Straight ahead._  
Takato moves his device a bit and John can see that the arrow moves more than usual.  
"Must be somewhere behind this door. And its close." Takato whispers.  
"We're close to our objective." John whispers into the headset.  
_Whatever it is._ he adds silently.  
Roger. We're still on our way. Dieter replies.  
John readies his assault rifle and carefully opens the door.  
  
"How far, Ruki?" Dieter asks.  
"Not far now. Maybe one more floor." the girl behind him answers.  
Dieter nods. They had not met anybody so far.  
_Maybe this castle really is deserted._  
When he arrives on the next floor, he knows that this castle is not deserted at all.  
This floor looks inhabited, and through a half-open door, light shines into the corridor.  
"This is it." Ruki whispers.  
  
Ken turns around when he hears the door open.  
He yelps when he sees the gun and instantly raises his arms.  
"Don't shoot! I'm human!" he whispers.  
The man, a soldier of some kind sighs and lowers the rifle.  
Ken can see that the man is accompanies by two boys of about his own age.  
He carefully removes the goggles he always wears outside his room.  
"My name is Ken. And I want to help you if you help me out of here." he offers.  
"Captain John Nelson. These are Takato and Lee." the man whispers in return.  
Ken can see that Takato and Lee walk towards a cell, looking at some kind of device.  
Slowly, Ken takes out his own device. It looks different than theirs, but yet similar.  
"You have one of those things, too?" Captain Nelson asks.  
Ken only nods.  
"My God." Lee whispers when he looks into the cell through a small slit in the door.  
"What are those creatures?" Takato whispers.  
When he hears this, Captain Nelson instantly raises his rifle again.  
"No! Wait! I have been told you came to rescue them!" Ken tells him.  
"Who else knows we're here?" the man instantly hisses.  
"So far, none of our enemies." Ken answers.  
The man listens to a muffled voice coming from his headset.  
"This may change really soon." the man mutters.  
  
"I repeat. We've reached our objective. Hostiles nearby."  
Dieter takes another look.  
He is standing at the half-open door leading to the lit room.  
The large room reminds him of a middle-ages living room. The light is coming from a fireside.  
Three... creatures are in the room.  
One tall man with a cape, one cat-like creature and a humanoid fox.  
Ruki is below him, checking her device.  
_But which one is our objective?_  
He watches the man, who is holding the fox up at its neck.  
"So, will you obey me?" he asks.  
It's a polite voice, but Dieter can hear the menacing tone in it.  
The cat looks up at the fox and smiles.  
Dieter blinks. The cat is actually smiling just like a human would do.  
"N-Never." the fox mutters, causing Dieter to raise an eyebrow.  
_I didn't know they could talk. That could mean that the man isn't human either._  
The man just laughs and tosses the fox into a corner of the room.  
Dieter instantly checks Ruki's display. The arrow has moved with the fox.  
Dieter moves away from the door again.  
"OK, here's the plan." he whispers.  
  
Keeping his weapon ready, John watches as Ken opens the prison cell.  
Slowly, two creatures walk out of it.  
One looks like a canine bunny, while the other is a red dinosaur.  
When they see the kids, they start to smile. John blinks when he sees the friendly faces.  
"Finally!" the bunny-dog cheers and runs to Lee.  
At the same time, the dino runs towards Takato.  
John lowers his rifle when he sees that Lee and Takato are also smiling.  
"You came! You came!" the dino cheers with his childish voice.  
Ken joins John and smirks.  
"They're called Terriermon and Guilmon." the boy tells them.  
John then notices that the boy frowns.  
"Come on! We should free somebody else, too!" he tells John.  
Trusting the boy, John nods.  
"OK, guys. We'll party later! Come!" John tells the boys and the Digimon.  



	7. Fighting side by side

Digimon: The Nail  
Part 7  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
"When I give the signal, I'll charge in, grab the fox and run for it."  
Ruki nods, but frowns.  
"You'll wait here. If something happens to me, looks for John."  
"But what will you do about those other two?" she asks.  
Dieter holds up a grenade, making Ruki gasp.  
"It's a flashbang." Dieter assures her.  
Looking at Davis, Ruki finally nods.  
"OK, look at the wall and cover your eyes." Dieter orders them.  
_Oh please let this work!_ Dieter prays and pulls the pin.  
Then he throws the grenade into the room and instantly turns away.  
He can hear some sounds of confusion, then the grenade explodes with a sharp bang.  
"Now!" Dieter shouts and charges into the room.  
To his confusion, the man is gone.  
But some bats are flwying through a small opening in the ceiling.  
The cat screams in terror, holding its eyes.  
Dieter runs to the fox, which is now unconscious, and touches it.  
The creatures breathing is slow, but the heart is beating wildly.  
_Just like a wounded animal._ Dieter thinks.  
Then he places it over his shoulder.  
The fox is not too heavy, but Dieter knows he can't run too much with it.  
"Got the objective, but they know I'm here!" he shouts.  
Then he runs out of the room and to the stairs.  
  
Gatomon hisses madly, trying to get rid of the pulsating lights she sees.  
They were under attack, Master may be hurt, and she can't see a thing!  
"Phantomon!" she shouts.  
Seconds later, the scythe-swinging ghost appears next to her.  
"There are intruders! Kill them! All of them!" she hisses.  
"As you wish." the Phantomon replies and flies out of the room.  
"Bakemon! Sweep the castle!" she hears him order.  
  
"Okay, tell me who we're going to rescue." John demands.  
He and the others are running behind Ken, who leads them deeper into the dungeons.  
"Other kids. They have landed here a good while ago."  
John blinks. Could that boy be talking about the first children sent here?  
"Dieter, we'll need one more minute. We've got a new objective."  
Then hurry up! I think we insulted the big boss around here!  
"We'll meet you outside."  
_I hope._  
  
One floor above the ground, Dieter meets the first enemies.  
He almost falls when he sees who faces them.  
_Ghosts!_ his mind screams.  
But the trained soldier levels the rifle and pulls the trigger.  
The weapon jerks up from the recoil since he is holding it with one hand only.  
But it doesn't matter at this range.  
Dieter is amazed to see that his bullets seem to hurt the ghosts.  
He fires another 3-shot-burst and some ghosts vanish.  
But there are still more.  
"Davis? Time for your little magic trick!" he yells.  
The boy stands next to him and raises his DigiVice.  
The ghosts slowly come closer.  
"Errr... Davis?" Dieter whispers.  
"I don't know! It should work!" Davis hisses.  
Cursing, Dieter decides to get rid of the enemies the old-fashioned way.  
He shoots and kicks at some closer enemies and continues his descent.  
  
Finally Ken stops at one door and starts to unlock it.  
"Incoming!" John yells when he sees a trio of ghosts coming their way.  
"Wait!" Ken whispers and puts on his weird goggles again.  
"Bakemon! Stop!" the boy shouts, this time sounding like a commander.  
John gasps when the ghosts stand still.  
"I'm locking in more prisoners. Everything is all right down here." Ken says.  
The ghosts blink, then turn around.  
Ken sighs when they are out of sight.  
"That has bought us time. But it won't last forever." the boy whispers.  
He unlocks the door and opens it.  
In the dark cell, John can make out the shapes of three children.  
They look older than the others. John thinks he remembers the faces from the files.  
"Izzy, Mimi and Sora. Right?" he asks and the kids look up.  
"No time! Come on out!" Ken urges them.  
Cheering, the three children come out of the cell.  
"Are there any more?" John asks.  
"No. Those were the only ones." Ken tells him.  
John sighs and leads the group to the next staircase.  
  
Dieter curses and slowly reloads his rifle.  
It is a hard task with the dead weight of the fox on his left shoulder.  
But he can't afford to drop her.  
He runs over the grassland and checks his back again.  
The ghosts are still following them, and some of them are armed with scythes.  
With a grunt, Dieter slams the new clip in and readies the rifle.  
"Davis! Take Ruki and bring her home!" he shouts before firing.  
"No! I'll stay with her!" Ruki shouts back.  
Dieter realizes that she is talking about the fox and curses silently.  
Then he sees John exit the castle.  
He is followed by a whole bunch of children and two Digimon.  
  
"Okay, as soon as I fire, you run around that bunch of ghosts!"  
John looks at the kids and sees that they understand.  
Ken seems to know that he couldn't fool the ghosts out here so easily.  
"No!" a childish voice protests suddenly.  
John looks around and sees that Guilmon shakes his big red head.  
"We help!" the dino tells him.  
Terriermon, who is carried by Lee, also nods.  
"No! We should run for it!" Lee tells the small Digimon.  
"Trust me." the bunnydog whispers.  
"Whatever! But the rest runs!" John barks.  
The children nod and start to run.  
Lee and Takato look back at them before joining up with Ken and the three others.  
"Okay, lemme see what you've got!" John shouts at the Digimon as he raises his rifle.  
By now some of the ghosts turn to chase the children running past them.  
John takes careful aim and shoots down one of these ghosts.  
"Fire-BALL!"  
John jumps when he sees the large fireball fly past him.  
It slams into the group of ghosts, destroying 3 at once.  
"Petit Twister!"  
The tornado that has once been Terriermon flies into another ghost, sending it away.  
"Wow." John mutters when he sees the destructive force of these friendly creatures.  
  
The ghosts are now trying to focus on three groups at once.  
John can see that they are lacking a clear leader and sees his chance.  
He keeps firing, attempting to demoralize them further.  
Dieter, Ruki and Davis are inside the forest now.  
A lone scythe-swinging ghost is following them.  
Dieter smiles when he sees where the ghost is heading at.  
He quickly takes out the remote control and triggers it.  
The earth under the ghost explodes, leaving only a crater.  
"Charge!" he shouts at Guilmon and starts to run.  
  
Dieter falls down to his knees when he reaches the TV set.  
Carefully he unloads the fox and checks her condition.  
The trip certainly hadn't helped, but the creature is still alive.  
Ruki kneels next to him, stroking the golden and white fur.  
He can see tears in her eyes and knows that this part of the mission has been a success.  
Moments later, six children arrive at the clearing. Takato and Lee are among them.  
Dieter recognizes three faces from the files. But the boy in the cape is a stranger.  
"Good. Now only John and those two Digimon are missing." Dieter mutters.  
The seconds seem to last hours.  
But finally the unlikely trio charges onto the clearing.  
"Okay, big group hug and HURRY!" he shouts.  
Everybody huddles together, making sure nobody remains isolated.  
Quickly Davis lifts his DigiVice.  
"RETURN!" he shouts.  
  


* * *

  
Once he can see again, Dieter looks around.  
John is there, and all children seem to be present, too.  
_Plus three Digimon._ he reminds himself.  
"Thank God." he mutters.  
"Okay, who's in for seconds?" John asks and smiles.  
Dieter just groans. Most children are just lying on the floor, exhausted by this trip.  
Takato and Lee are hugging their new friends Guilmon and Terriermon.  
Ruki simply strokes the fox's fur.  
Dieter joins her and carefully picks the fox up.  
Then he places it on the couch, taking care not to squeeze the tail.  
"Okay. Listen up everyone. Just find a place to sleep. But don't leave the house!"  
The children look up at John and nod.  
"Boys can sleep in my apartment." John offers and gestures towards the corridor.  
"Make sure nobody can look in through the windows." Dieter advises them.  
  
As expected, the children don't really sleep this night.  
They rest themselves, but throughout the night they chat and sometimes cry.  
John stays in his apartment, looking after the boys.  
Dieter watches Ruki, Mimi and Sora, who look after the poor fox.  
In the morning, the fox has still not woken up, but it looks as if it is merely sleeping now.  
One by one, the girls visit the bathroom.  
Dieter sits on the floor in front of the couch and thinks about last night.  
Mimi and Sora are now sitting at the table and talk while Ruki is in the bath.  
Just then, Dieter feels the fox stir behind him.  
Before he even manages to turn around, a three-fingered paw is at his neck.  
Acting too quickly for his reflexes, the fox throws Dieter against the opposing wall.  
Mimi and Sora shriek in alarm while the fox checks its surroundings.  
Dieter recognizes the typical signs of the Flight-or-fight reflex and stands up.  
He raises his arms to show he is unarmed, but the Digimon doesn't seem to care.  
It dashes around, looking for an exit, when suddenly Dieter hears a door open next to him.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming. Don't rush me." Ruki mumbles.  
She has just been finished in the bath when somebody has roughly pounded against the door.  
At least that's what it sounded like.  
Frowning, Ruki opens the door - and gasps.  
The fox, the creature that has somehow called her, is awake and in panic.  
Obviously the Digimon is not too happy about company since it dashes towards her, claws flexed.  
She hears Dieter shout something next to her, but she doesn't pay him any attention.  
Her senses are focused on the fox. She has almost given her sanity to rescue it - her.  
_And now I'm going to die for this creature?_  
The left paw grabs her shirt while the right one prepares to strike her down.  
Ruki yelps and closes her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.  
But the pain never comes.  
Instead, Ruki can feel the fox's snout near her face.  
She slowly opens her eyes and looks into the fox's eyes.  
"R-Ruki?" the creature asks, and Ruki slowly nods.  
She doesn't even ask how this creature knows her name.  
Before she can say anything, the fox embraces her tightly.  
"You have come! It's really you!" the fox cries into her shoulder.  
  
Dieter sighs and slowly sinks to the floor.  
It really seems as if these Digimon have waited for a special human to meet.  
John now enters the apartment and frowns.  
"What happened?" he asks.  
"Happy reunion." Dieter sighs and gestures at Ruki and the fox.  
"Oh. I just ordered breakfast for all of us." John tells him.  
Dieter nods and knows that after breakfast they'd have to ask the kids some questions.  
But not now.  
For now he simply enjoys the sight of this girl and her Digimon partner.  
_Digimon partner? Hm. Sounds right somehow..._  



End file.
